


Troublemaker

by thefutureisequalaf



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: F/F, Libraries
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-09
Updated: 2017-11-11
Packaged: 2018-08-20 00:02:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8229284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thefutureisequalaf/pseuds/thefutureisequalaf
Summary: “This is a public library, not your personal study hall. Shut it.”

Wherein Hope Solo's off-season job happens to be at Kelley and Christen's preferred off-campus study spot. WPS era with a few AU tweaks. Snarky, sparky, short, and sweet.





	1. Chapter 1

_“Hey.”_

With grins still plastered on their faces from Kelley's latest antic, she and Christen looked up from their studying. A library worker scowled down at them.

“This is a public library, not your personal study hall. Shut it.”

Kelley raised her eyebrows. The young woman glaring at her didn’t fit her image of a librarian at all. She wore dark jeans and a sleeveless purple blouse, which highlighted thick legs, strong arms, and square shoulders. Her tight, dark ponytail, her gray eyes, and her frown formed a lethal cocktail of disapproval.

“Don’t make me tell you again,” she threatened.

“We won't, ma'am,” Christen, the very image of deference, promised her. The woman gave Kelley a final narrow-eyed glare and walked away.

_“Holy crap,”_ Kelley whispered. “Who was that?”

Christen shuddered. “I don’t want to know. She was scary.”

“She was _hot_.”

Christen looked upon her friend with dawning horror. “Oh, no, you’re not going to be obnoxious on purpose now, are you?”

Kelley smirked. “I’ll warn you so you can hide.” Christen set her elbows on their table and buried her face in her hands.

* * *

Kelley tried to keep it down. She really did, but Christen, also doing her best not to explode in laughter, snorted. That pushed Kelley past the point of no return. She burst out in raucous, doubled-over, brace-yourself-and-hold-on-tight laughter.

_Thud._

She looked up, wiping her eyes and still snickering uncontrollably. The young librarian stood between them, leaning with her fists planted on the table. “What the hell is your problem?! Other people are trying to get work done in here!”

Kelley fought to get a grip. It didn’t help that the woman had a jawline carved by the gods.

_“Well?”_

The best defense is a good offense, or so Kelley told herself. “If you weren’t so uptight, you'd have laughed at that, too.”

“It’s my job to be uptight. This is _a library. L-I-B-R-A-R-Y.”_

Feeling a surge of mischief, Kelley leaned forward. “Ooh, nice! I can say the alphabet backwards: _Z-Y-X-W-V-U-T-”_ She added a few more muffled letters with the librarian’s hand clamped over her mouth.

_“Are you sponsored by Red Bull or something?”_ The woman hissed.

Kelley grinned when she let go. “I dunno, are you sponsored by bitch?”

She snarled. “Well fuck you, too, babe.”

Kelley’s grin turned to a smirk, complete with raised eyebrow. “’Babe’?”

The woman flushed but maintained her glare. “Just shut the hell up, okay?” She stalked off into the shelves.

“She called me ‘babe’,” Kelley said to Christen, who looked pale.

“That’s probably just how she talks,” her friend countered, but she sounded hopeful rather than confident.

“Nah, did you see her face when I called her on it?”

Christen sighed and gazed at the ceiling. “I can’t believe you're being rewarded for this.”

Kelley grinned. “What can I say? Well-behaved women-"

“Get their homework done!”

* * *

Fortunately for Christen, the next week brought a crunch of mid-term exams and soccer matches. They stuck to the athletic department's study spaces, for time's sake. The week after was better, but still laden enough to keep the pair mostly quiet and industrious in the library. They didn’t see Kelley’s favorite librarian again until late in the week. Still sleeveless, but in maroon with black slacks, she pulled a cart of returned books to the row of shelves nearest Kelley and Christen. Pointedly not looking at the pair, she began re-shelving. 

_“Just. Stay. Quiet,”_ Christen warned.

Kelley didn’t hear; she was preoccupied with watching the woman’s arms in action. _Those are some serious arms. I wonder what she does outside of work..._ The silence grew tenser as the woman sorted her way closer. When she drew near, Kelley noticed several bruises on her bare skin. It was probably a bad idea to ask, but what other conversation starters did she have? “Something happen to your shoulder?”

The woman answered without turning or pausing. “I landed on it,” she said gruffly.

“You were flying?” Kelley thought of several follow-on pickup lines, all terrible.

“I'm a goalkeeper.”

Kelley gasped. “No way! We both play soccer, too!”

The woman kept her face aimed at the shelves. “I’m _so proud_ to be associated with you.”

“Where do you play?” Kelley pressed.

There came a sigh of resignation. “Gold Pride.”

“You’re professional?!”

The admiration in Kelley's tone made the woman look back. “You’re not completely clueless.”

“I’m hoping to make some of your games next spring! We’re at Stanford.”

“No, you’re at a library. Keep it down.”

Kelley pouted. “Are we back to that again?”

The goalkeeper looked at Kelley like she was an idiot. “The rules haven't changed.”

“Can we at least annoy each other by name?”

“Fine, _Kelley_. Hope.”

“Wait, how do you know my name?”

Hope scowled at her. “The whole fucking building knows. I gotta get back to work.”

Kelley made a too-innocent smile. “Talk to you tomorrow, then, Hope.”

“Whether I like it or not,” Hope muttered, and resumed shelving books.

* * *

Oh, what a precious moment of joy! An hour before they typically left the library, Kelley ran out of homework to do. She packed her things and left them with Christen, who still had an essay to revise, and wandered into the shelves. She'd seen Hope trundling a cart toward the fiction section. If she was lucky…

Hope stood in _Mystery (Mi-Sz),_ reaching to return a book to the top shelf. Kelley stopped to enjoy the view. Damn, but the woman was a sight! She'd worn a dressy, full-sleeved black blouse when Kelley saw her before, but that, apparently, was a ruse. The blouse draped over one end of the cart; Hope worked in a gray UW tank. Kelley watched as the muscles in Hope's shoulders swelled and slid beneath her skin. She felt like standing and just drinking in Hope's gorgeous profile – no, Kelley wanted the woman to notice her on her own terms. She ducked around to the next row and waited.

Many hundreds of pulse-beats later, Hope made it to the end of the row of shelves. That was as close to cornered as Kelley could ask for; she pounced. “So,” she got in close, leaned against the shelf and folded her arms, “you come here often?”

Hope barely looked at her. “You stalk me for ten minutes and that's all you've got?”

It wasn't. “It’s for your own good. If I unleashed my full powers, they'd throw you out for laughing too loud.”

Hope checked the label on her next book to file. “I'm at your mercy, then? Is that it?”

“Yep!” Kelley grinned. “So, you'd better tell me when you get off work on Saturday.”

“Before midnight.”

“That's real specific – or do you turn into a pumpkin if you stay out late?”

_“Before Midnight,_ author ‘Stout, Rex', should be…here.” Hope made space and slipped it in. “Hand me that other one with the same cover design.”

Kelley blinked. “Huh?”

“Real powers of observation you got, Kelley.” Hope twisted and plucked a paperback off the cart. “I don’t know if I want you in my personal life,” she continued, as she inserted the book near the previous one, “and since there's clearly no getting rid of you once you’re in, I'm gonna put you through a tryout. You help me shelve books and whatever time you save me, I'll spend getting to know you.”

“Not giving me anything for free,” Kelley huffed.

Hope smirked. “Obviously. I'm a bitch, remember?”

“You know, I nearly forgot.” Kelley scooped up an armload of books from the cart and set to work. If she'd looked in the mirror at the end of the row, she might've seen Hope bite her lip in a bashful smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your comments are always appreciated!
> 
> For readers of my other work: yes, this is a brief diversion to get the O'Solo out of my system :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why did it take so long to update this? Well, I got so caught up with Julie Johnston/a certain English striker that I wrote enough to make a spin-off from _Growing the Game_. I thought Hannah Wilkinson would be the one to bewitch my unconscious mind, but what can you do?
> 
> * * *

The next day, Kelley focused like a laser. “What’s gotten into you?” Christen asked her.

Kelley kept her eyes on her laptop. “Hey, I'm working. Don’t distract me.”

“I can count the times you've ever said that on one hand.”

“Hope and I have a deal, remember? I gotta finish my homework first, obvi'.”

As Kelley spoke, a smirk grew on Christen's face. “She sounds dangerously close to being too smart for you.”

Kelley stopped typing and looked up. “ _Hey!_  Also, what?”

Christen grinned. “It's perfect! She got you to stay quiet and do her work for free – and like it.”

Kelley's expression drifted into dreamland. “That just makes me like her more.” Christen laughed aloud.  _“Quiet,”_  Kelley warned. Christen's eyes bulged; she had to cover her mouth to stifle her mirth.

* * *

“Do you ever find a cozy spot and just read?”

“No. The county isn’t paying me to sit on my ass.”

Kelley grinned knowingly. “So, you do, but not very often and you swear you feel bad about it.”

Hope gave her a stern glance. “I meant what I said. I work at work and I read at home.”

“Where's home for you?”

“I share an apartment with some other players, a ways out of the city. Do you live in an all-athlete dorm?”

Kelley shelved  _The New Way Things Work_  and reached for another book. It was a typical conversation for them: shared piece by piece while they worked. The reality was that they never had time to sit and talk. Kelley led the student-athlete life and Hope maintained a commendable, but frustrating, determination not to shirk her duties. Instead, they chatted as they worked their way through the returns, about their days, books they'd read, and whatever else caught their fancy. When Kelley steered their conversation toward details of Hope's background or personal life, however, Hope smoothly closed the door and moved on. Still, Kelley found her to be pleasant company. First and foremost, she no longer harbored an aversion to smiling. Sometimes, she even chuckled quietly at Kelley's quips and cracks. And, when they did have a moment to speak eye-to-eye, she could be genuinely charming. What Hope still was absolutely not doing was giving anything for free. The woman's comfort and enjoyment grew each week, but the terms remained the same.

“Your beau  _so_  has your number,” Christen observed, as they left the library one evening.

“What do you mean?” Kelley felt like she should know, but couldn’t find words for her impressions of the situation.

“Like, you've been at this for a month – and hung out with her on maybe half of those days – and every week, you tell me some big new thing you've learned about her. You were all excited, like, when she told you her favorite songs. This week, it was how she wants to keep chickens and maybe horses when she's older. Next week, she’ll drop another personal tidbit.”

“Yeah, probably. So?”

Christen shook her head. “Not ‘probably’. _Definitely._ She's practically got you on a drip feed.”

Kelley felt affronted. “What are you saying?”

“I'm saying, this arrangement of hers is, like, the perfect way to let you in slowly while keeping you fascinated. She's got you wrapped around her finger like a pro, Kelley.”

Kelley stopped at the door to Christen’s car and looked for hints in her expression. “Do you see a problem? For real,” she added, when Christen showed signs of smirking.

“No. I mean, I think it's smart of her, knowing you. I just want to be sure you realize it.”

Kelley spent their drive back to campus absorbed in thought.

* * *

“Your sidekick finally get tired of you?”

At the sound of Hope's voice, Kelley put her coffee down and turned in her chair “She has a group presentation for another class. It's just me, today and tomorrow.”

“Wow, it'll actually be quiet again. I'll be sure to spread the good news.”

“Nah, her texts are hilarious.”

Hope rolled her eyes and made a dramatic sigh. “Way to get my hopes up.”

Kelley smirked. “Sorry. I thought I'd make it up to you, though.” That drew a raised eyebrow from Hope. “It would've been my turn to buy coffee today,” Kelley explained, and reached under the table. She surfaced with a second Starbucks cup. “I figured you deserved to have Christen’s.”

“For not bouncing your ass out of here?”

“Pretty much. Here, kick back and relax for a minute.”

After a second’s consideration, Hope accepted the coffee and sat opposite her. “Thank you – or should I thank Christen?”

Kelley gave her a wry smile. “I don’t know yet, ‘cause Christen pointed out some things after we left, yesterday. Actually, first, we haven't been loud and obnoxious for weeks, so you can lay off the snarky comments.”

Hope's gray eyes glittered above the white crescent of the coffee lid. “Hate to break it to you, but you'll always be a troublemaker to me.” She was all smile and no snark.

Kelley couldn’t argue with that, so she made a face. “This is what I get for letting you get to know me.”

“Mm-hmmm.” Hope took another sip of coffee, treating Kelley to another stomach-flipping view of her eyes.

“The main thing,” Kelley resumed, “was that she got me thinking about how long your ‘tryout’ is gonna last.”

“You’ll know when it's over,” Hope replied, with a warm voice and suggestive eyes, but Kelley gave her a hard look.

“There's such a thing as overdoing it.”

Hope turned sincere. “If I didn’t like where this is going, I'd tell you.”

For two heartbeats, all Kelley saw was how beautiful Hope looked with truth on her face. They still weren't on the same page, however. “I can imagine, but that’s not actually my point. At some point, you either let me into your life or you don't.”

“I know, Kelley.”

“What’s stopping you?”

Hope looked down and struggled to hold back a smile, but it was a losing battle. In Kelley’s eyes, it was also adorable. Her opinion must’ve shown, because a blush joined the victorious – and all the more bashful – smile. “You. You’re intimidating.”

“M-  _I'm_  intimidating?!” Kelley gawked at Hope, flabbergasted.

A warm, tickled grin scrunched Hope's eyes. “You  _are,_  though! ‘Bitch-face’ has nothing on the way you came after me.”

Kelley wanted to blush, laugh, and yell all at once. “You’re saying this whole book-date thing is my fault?!”

Hope burst out laughing, though she quickly tamped it down. She leaned forward, with her forearms on the table, and grinned. “If you could keep quiet, like a normal person, none of this would've happened. So, yes, Kelley, this  _is_  all your fault.” She rose from her chair, keeping her palms on the table and still leaning over it. _“And I wouldn’t change a thing.”_

Hope's eyes chased the breath from Kelley's lungs. She merely watched as the young woman straightened, picked up her coffee, and checked the clock. “Thank you for the coffee break, Kelley. Let’s do this again sometime.”

“Yeah,” Kelley agreed weakly. “Definitely…” Watching Hope leave, she wondered how on Earth she'd focus without Christen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos to user WretchedThorium for poking me about continuing this. Next update to follow in...probably not longer than this one took. I still don't know what I want the end to look like.
> 
> Comments are always appreciated :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: in US collegiate soccer, the game clock counts down from 45:00 to 0:00. The ref stops the clock during stoppages, so no time needs to be added.

Even in her dearest longings, Kelley never imagined that Hope could be the easiest person to talk to she'd ever met. Yet, somehow…no, there was no mystery about why; Hope was sharp-minded and honest to a fault. Wherever their talks went, what she said was worth hearing. Even Kelley found it easy to be a good listener. Hope's honesty and intelligence cut the other way, too. She asked questions solely because she cared about the answers. While that meant she could be quiet for stretches, it also transformed “how’re you doing?” from a greeting into something much more personal. What’s more, it meant Kelley had her full attention. Even when their tone was casual, she could count on Hope to hear and remember every word she said. Knowing Hope was listening to her like that? Intoxicating.

Hope continued to redirect Kelley’s most probing questions, but always with grace. She didn’t begrudge Kelley’s attempts to sneak up on off-limits topics, either. On the contrary, Kelley knew Hope was onto her when the corner of her mouth twitched upward. It no longer felt like a tryout. This was a dance.

* * *

Her homework done, Kelley caught up with Hope while she was exchanging an empty cart for a full one. She took a book off the top to see what section they'd be in today. The label on its spine began with _‘ROM',_ which inspired a question. “Do you read romance novels, Hope?”

“We did Pride and Prejudice in high school, but, other than that, not really.” Hope glanced at Kelley. “I feel like your guilty pleasure is something else, too.”

Kelley smirked suggestively. “I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours.”

Hope chuckled at that. “I don't feel guilty about my pleasures.”

“I don't believe that. Everybody has something.”

“I guess there was one recently, until I embraced it...”

Kelley tried to will Hope to finish the thought, to no avail. “What?” She finally asked.

Hope gave her a look laden with attraction. “You.” Her fingers slipped onto her pocket and came back with her phone. “Alright, ‘guilty pleasure', what’s your number?”

Kelley gave it, then opened her phone. "What's yours?" Hope shook her head while she finished entering the contact. Kelley folded her arms. “Still not giving anything, I see.”

Hope stared at her. “I’m giving you a call, silly! If I gave you my number, you’d still be doing all the work.”

 _Oh…._ The first thought to make it out of Kelley’s jumbled mind was, “In the romance section? Really, Hope?”

Hope shrugged. “I wasn't going to make you wait just because of the cart.”

“Thank you. Thing is, now I'm stuck here with a thousand romance novels to remind me of what I'd rather be doing.”

Hope looked around and smirked. “What, pining? Sipping tea?”

Kelley weighed a sudden idea. On one hand, Hope had just let her in, but maybe she shouldn't push right away. Ultimately, the line was just too good to pass up: “Ripping bodices.” To her immense pleasure, Hope blushed.

* * *

That evening, when Kelley’s phone rang, she nearly tore her pocket trying to get it out. The incoming number wasn't from the Bay Area. “Hello?”

_“Kelley? It's Hope Solo. I get off work at seven on Thursday. Are you free for dinner?”_

By some miracle, Kelley managed not to squeal.

* * *

Two minutes later, Kelley called back. ”Hope? Hey…”

_“Just can't get enough, can you? What’s up?”_

“I, um, need to reschedule. I have a match on Thursday evening.”

_“You forgot about a match? I'm flattered! How about Friday?”_

“Thank you, I try. I have a paper due, electronically, by five on Friday, but I'm free after that.”

_“Sounds good. You sure you don’t have another match or something?”_

Kelley rolled her eyes. “Ahh, you’re right, I’m getting married that night.”

_“Aww, congratulations! To who?”_

“Christen’s dog. Poor girl, she’s the mother of the groom, maid of honor, and officiant. I still can’t believe she found a dress which works for all three. You should see it, it’s-”

_“Alright, Kelley. I'll grab you at five on Friday.”_

Kelley staved off the temptation to call again in another two minutes.

* * *

Stanford had one last chance to create a chance. When the left center-back glanced to check her line, Christen loosed a beautiful through-ball between her and the left back. Kelley sprinted to meet it and swept it forwards. The keeper charged out at her. Kelley dribbled toward the near post, drawing the keeper to the left, then cut right. She had just enough space and angle to bend it around the onrushing keeper. Her shot clipped the inside of the far corner and landed in the back netting.

Kelley roared, threw her arms wide, aimed a finger at Christen, and made a flying leap into her friend's arms. More teammates tried to hug her or clapped her on the head and shoulders. One was shouting, _“The final minute! Look at the board! Eighteen seconds to go!”_

They regrouped for the kickoff and faced down one last attack. The pressure came, but Christen got her foot in at the perfect moment. In what felt like slow-motion, Kelley watched her check for passing options...find none…glance at the clock…fix her eyes on the ball…let fly with her foot…

The final whistle and the clang of the crossbar reached Kelley’s ears together. Christen turned, grinned, and shrugged. The home crowd's sigh of disappointment resolved into cheers for the final score of 1-0. A cluster of friends struck up a chant of _“Kell-ey O-Hara!” Clap, clap, clap-clap-clap,_ but Kelley's attention was all on one person. “Dang, Chris', that was awesome! If it'd just been two inches lower!”

“I’m not complaining,” Christen replied, beaming. “Nothing like a last-minute game-winner!”

“Oh, yeah! Sucks to be a Bruin tonight.” Then, through fog of her euphoria, Kelley’s eyes caught an object which didn’t belong – a black-clad figure amidst the red Stanford fans. Instinctively, Kelley tried to get a better look.

It was Hope, in an FC Gold Pride hoodie.

Excitement kept Kelley present through the post-game huddle and the walk to the locker room, but, there, she made a beeline to her locker and grabbed her phone. Two text messages awaited her:

 _8:53. Hope: You have a few minutes? I want to congratulate you!_  
_8:54. Hope: If not, it's OK. I have you to myself tomorrow ;)_

Kelley stared. She wasn't really surprised, but still felt unable to-

“Breathe, Kelley.” Christen poked her. “What is it?” Kelley handed her friend the phone. Christen's eyes popped wide open. “She’s h-” Christen cut short her question. “You can shower and change fast and I'll take your stuff back-” Kelley planted a kiss on Christen’s temple, yanked out her towel, and bolted.

 _9:01. Kelley: This is Christen. KO will meet you just inside the main gate in about ten minutes._  
_9:01. Hope: Lol, thanks._  
_9:02. Hope: Does she know?_  
_9:03. Kelley: Not the details. I'll tell her in a minute._  
_9:03. Hope: K. Thanks again :)_

* * *

Hope met Kelley with shining eyes. “Beautiful goal! Brilliant!”

“Thank you! Means a lot, coming from a pro.”

Hope’s smile evolved into a smirk. “I would’ve saved it, though.”

“Would not,” Kelley scoffed.

“Would too. She left her line too late. One second sooner, and even that gorgeous curving shot wouldn’t be enough.”

Kelley pounced. “Oh, so you like my curves?”

Hope made a show of rolling her eyes as far back as they’d go. “Arguing with you is like whack-a-mole, except the moles have no shame.”

“You clearly need the challenge, since shot-stopping comes so easy.”

In lieu of a retort, Hope simply laughed. “Shit, when did I get on the defensive?”

“When you-”

“Started playing keeper, yeah, I know.”

Kelley shook her head and smiled. “When you admitted that you want me as much as I want you.” Hope's ever-expressive face showed hints of unease. Maybe putting her on the spot, a day before she expected, was asking for too much vulnerability. Kelley altered her posture, folding her arms casually and leaning against the stadium fence. “How did you find out about the match?”

Hope regained her usual composure. “From you.”

Kelley rolled her eyes. “I mean, where and when and how to get here?”

“There’s this new thing called the Internet. C’mon, I thought you Stanford kids were supposed to be smart.”

“Oh, yeah? _Z-Y-X-W-V-U-T-S-R-Q-P-O-N-M-L-K-J-I-H-G-F-E-D-C-B-A!_ Four score and seven years ag-”

“If I kiss you, will you shut up?”

Shocked, Kelley shut up.

That smirk again. “Good to know.” Hope wrapped Kelley in a firm hug with firm boundaries. “Congratulations again, I'm glad I got to see you play. See you tomorrow, Kelley.”

Kelley went home kicking herself for not making Hope shut her up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos appreciated, but comments adored :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My intent was to wrap up the story in this chapter, but I hit a wall back in May and never got past it. I'm posting just the first part for you to enjoy.

_“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA-ow! Hey!” A strong grip twisted Kelley's arm behind her back and forced her out of her chair._

_“Strike three,” Hope's voice growled. Kelley couldn’t pull forward, couldn’t twist away; she tried shoving back and met the stone wall of Hope's torso. “You’re out. Move.” Hope propelled her ahead. When Kelley regained her wits, however, she realized they were headed not for the exit, but for the nearby reference section. The least used section. She gasped when Hope dropped her arm and spun her around. That same irresistible grip seized her waist and shoved her back against the encyclopedias. The blue eyes she imagined every night transfixed her. “Tell me this isn't what you want.”_

_“What took you so long?” Kelley craned forward to kiss her, but Hope pulled her head back and tightened her hold. Kelley's breath hitched; Hope grinned like a tiger and went for the kill. Her kiss forced Kelley's head back until the volumes behind her hit the spine of the shelf. The jolt made her gasp again, which gave Hope all the entry she needed. Her tongue-_

Kelley sighed and dropped her pencil. She could almost taste Hope on her lips, but her imagination could only guess at the flavor. _Dammit._ For almost two months, thoughts of Hope kept her on task, but seeing her at last night's match changed that. For the first time, Hope felt within reach. Before, daydreaming about a kiss felt pointless; now, she tingled with anticipation. _Premature anticipation,_ Kelley thought. _Besides_ , _there’s no way our first kiss would happen like that. Hope would want it to be calmer, probably. More warm than hot. Maybe our fifth or sixth kiss-_

She felt touches on each shoulder. “You-”

 _“Jesus!”_ Kelley nearly jumped out of her chair. She twisted and saw a surprised and apologetic face. “Hope! Holy crap, Hope, don’t do that.”

“Sorry.” Hope looked like she was trying not to look dejected.

“Um, Hope,” Christen ventured, “I think Kelley means speak first, touch second, so she knows it's you – until she gets used to it.”

Kelley gathered her wits, and then placed her palms together for a small bow to Christen. “Thank you, O Wise One.” She rose and met Hope with a hug. “Forget what I said. Just don’t try something new if I can't tell who you are, okay?”

“I should’ve said what I was going to say before I touched you,” Hope conceded.

“And I would've been in heaven.” Kelley stepped back and looked Hope in the eye. “Whatever you do, don’t stop doing things like that. Also, hugging you is amazing.”

Hope, looking bashful, caught Christen's eyes. “And we haven't even been on a date yet.” She tried and failed to keep her tone wry.

Christen giggled. “You two have been dating for weeks.”

Hope looked back at Kelley. “Anyway…you looked like you were having trouble focusing?”

“You get one guess why.”

“Flattery,” Hope said, “will get you somewhere. Are you working on that paper?”

Kelley sighed. “No, this is calculus for dummies. After I submit it, I'll finish the paper.”

“Calc?! What's your major?”

“Science, Tech, and Society. Which requires integrals, apparently.”

“Over my head. What’s the paper on?”

“The book _Guns, Germs, and Steel._ It's legit, but the middle is _so freaking dry!”_

“Oh, I can he-” Hope went pink and looked away. “Sorry. Unfiltered wit.”

“What?”

“Forget it. I'll stop by after my next cart,” Hope said, and left them.

Five minutes later, Christen's eyes popped wide open. “Ohmigod.”

“What?”

“Help with the dryness.”

“So?”

_“Wet.”_

Kelley dropped her pencil and covered her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, comments are welcome :)


End file.
